Dragon Age: Kinship of Blood
by The Original Frizzi
Summary: In a tumultuous time of Ferelden's history, in a world that won't be drawn on any map, a whole new war blazed out of the sight of the nation. When a wayward mage is thrown into the middle of it, he not only has to find his way out, but also to find a way to keep his life safe from these strangely fanged blood mages... Rated T, for now.
1. Chapter 1

_AN: I know, I know, I should get to my other stories, but this story was scratching at the back of my mind, just *waiting* for an excuse to be posted. Thanks to a rather happenstance post in the DAWC Challenges thread, it burst to the forefront. Hopefully, it won't take as long to finish as my other one's are predicted to be, but no less fun to write regardless._

_Many thanks to Jaden Anderson and Eve Hawke, for being my muses, my betas, and the fans chanting "DOO EET, DOO EET" from the stands._

_Bioware owns all, save for the individual characters... and the story plot nug! Oh, it feels good to say that, lol!_

* * *

The year was 8:33 Blessed, the thirty-third year of the eighth century since the crowning of the Chantry's first Divine. In the late month of Haring, snow covered the ground in a thick blanket of white. It didn't hinder the Orlesian forces any, as they had conquered more than half of Ferelden at that point. Vigil's Keep, the city of Amaranthine, and Redcliffe had fallen years ago, with Lothering being in the process of doing so. Under the direction of the "mad Emperor" Reville, and the death of King Vanedrin Theirin unknowingly close at hand, it seemed that Ferelden would be lost to foreign forces, not for the first time.

Yet Dominic could care less about a majority of this.

Having escaped from Kinloch for the third time, all he wanted to do was to keep from the Templars from catching up to him. There was a good and bad side to his current situation: the good side being that the current blizzard might be hindering the Templars progress, with the downside being his growing chance of dying from exposure out in this Maker-cursed weather.

Huffing a breath, he pulled his hand from under his arm and swiped the errant strands of hair away from the top of his vision. The movement proved futile as the frozen clumped strands simply fell back to where they were. His hand was then jammed back into its previous position as his numbed feet returned to trudging a path through the snow. Fear of the Templars simply vanished as the wind started blowing harder, covering any sort of track with efficiency.

Squinting his eyes to block the force of wind and snow, he looked ahead to the shadowed forms of his destination: the Frostback Mountains. He had to cross those to get to his ultimate goal, but in weather like this, he might not make it that far. Perhaps he could ask for assistance from the dwarves of Orzammar, if not ask for temporary shelter? He could get to where he needed to go by himself, certainly, but he could do without the blizzard... Dominic only hoped that he wouldn't be turned away at the door, or the dwarven folk weren't as reclusive as the history books claimed.

Though it hurt to breathe now, he forced himself to keep going. This escape from the tower had to count for something.

o0o0o

The year was 19:21 KB, the twenty-first year of the nineteenth century since the founding of the Kinship of Blood. The kinship had been living underground in what the normal citizens of Thedas have come to call the Deep Roads over time. Those who were considered normal also knew to give the Deep Roads a wide berth, fearfully whispering about dark creatures that lived in those dreaded boundaries. However, as was nature of any living being, there was unrest in the kinship, as the once united front split into two main warring factions: those who wished to keep their existence secure, however taboo it may be, and those who didn't want to keep hiding who they are from the world above them.

Yet Samantha could care less about a majority of this.

It was her turn to uphold the safeguarding boundary from random adventurers stumbling where they shouldn't, yet instead of doing her duty, she couldn't help but stare out into the falling snow. Memories rose in the back of her mind, unbidden yet welcome all the same. Back then, her winter days were filled with sunshine, freshly fallen snow, and wasting the daylight hours playing games with her brother... well, save for days like today. In this weather, her mother would sooner drag her in by her ear than let her catch cold. Samantha would instead be bundled up next to the hearth of the fire, keeping idle hands busy, while the men of the household would be off doing whatever it was men did.

The red film over the entryway to the cave entrance of her new home started to flicker softly, hinting her to return to the task at hand. She palmed her favorite small dagger from its boot sheath and cut a thin line in her hand, watching as the line very slowly filled, then overflowed, with red. To be reduced to a life of darkness, with this serving as her only color, was a thing she'd never guessed would happen. Not to her, not ever. Truth be told, she was still in denial of the fact, but there wasn't much that could be done to change this now.

Her eyes lifted from her hand, to take a last look of the landscape before she had to return, when a form amidst the white caught her gaze. The form was human, this she could tell instantly, but this person was hunched over, and alone. She knew this person was a stranger, and fear of being discovered as she was prompted her to back away from the entrance. Neither made it far, as the form fell forward into the snow. Samantha stopped, her brows furrowing as the sight opened a new window of possibilities. Curiosity drove her actions, telling her to step outside of the safety that the barrier provided, smearing her blood covered palm over the correct symbol carving as an afterthought.

The wind ruffled her hair where it was gathered into a tie at the base of her neck, and she took higher placed steps in the snow out of habit, though the cold didn't affect her like it did when she was alive. As she drew close to the fallen form, all the words of caution came back to her tenfold. His dark hair and lashes were frozen in clumps, and though she could tell he had a naturally dark skin tone, it was paled and chafed from the exposure. Shivering heavily, he was subconsciously curling into himself, struggling to find a bit of warmth. Her eyes widened once she spotted the tinge of blue on his lips and whitened fingertips.

The man was going to die soon, whoever he was. Samantha looked to the barrier and back to the man, making up her mind to prevent his untimely death.

o0o0o

Trenton stopped his token group of Templars in the snow, raising the mage's phylactery to eye level. He grew confused over what it was showing him... it wasn't possible. It _couldn't_ be...

"What's keeping you, Trenton?" one of his followers asked, having to raise his voice to be heard.

"It's the phylactery," he called back. "Something must be wrong with it." Hitting the side of its metal encasing a few times didn't fix anything; the strange sight didn't change. Similar in form to a compass, all that had to be done was to slip the vial of blood into the notch, and have it act as the needle, steering the Templars into where to go. Looking at it now, he watched the directional waver slightly, before it started whirling in rapid circles.

Another Templar joined him, taking a look at the phylactery himself. After releasing a surprised breath, he shook his head. "I've never seen anything like that in my life."

Neither did Trenton, but it didn't need to be stated aloud. What they needed was a plan on how to take this turn of events, to change it into their favor... What they needed was the assistance of- as much as he didn't want to say it- the First Enchanter. "Fall back," he said aloud. "This damned phylactery and the blizzard won't help anything."

The mage would be free, for now. But with any luck, the poor sod was probably dead and half buried in snow by now. No way was Trenton going to risk that happening to one of his men because of a faulty vial of blood.

o0o0o

If Trenton ever did find out about where the escaped mage was in that very moment, the snow around him would have melted with the sheer force of his anger. Dominic wasn't buried in snow, but far from it, thanks to a rather curious blond rescuer and fortunate timing on both of their parts. Even now, she was balancing his head in her lap, keeping the upper half of his face above water while the rest was being slowly warmed by the temperature of the cavern pool. A faint, warm glow from the blood-magically activated runes along the walls of the cave provided a soft light, not that she needed it persay.

Samantha helped the process along to the stretches of skin that weren't quite submerged by gently scooping water onto him. Though she could be warmed by it, she could never again generate body heat, so she was also careful to keep any possible skin contact to a minimum. The state of his dress, as well as their current positioning normally would have made her blush, stammer, and seek a safer distance, but having not once used her new powers for any sort of good deed made her curious over what she was seeing. As the blood flushed his skin to a more natural color, she could nearly trace its travel through his veins. Her hearing could pick out his heart beating, his soft falls of breath, both creating a sweet sounding symphony to a darker, primal part of her...

With a start, she realized she was staring at the cut made along his palm, his way to safely cross through the border. The wound was cleaned and had stopped bleeding long ago, but she was scared of this newest obsession she was having, and what it represented. Rather forcibly, she turned her eyes away to his face, to find his eyes open and watching her. Reacting on instinct, she leapt away from him, her back hitting the opposite cave wall from the strength of her jump. As she did, she realized that she dumped the poor stranger into the water into the process. With her supernatural speed, she returned to his side, lifting his head out of the water once more. "I apologize," she spoke over his coughing. "That was rude of me."

Once Dominic drew enough breath, he replied, wiping the water-slickened hair from his forehead. "I think this may have been my fault; I should have said something." If he was to be honest, he had grown rather distracted by the sight he had woken to. The last thing he remembered was trudging through deep snow, with a rather faint sensation of his legs giving out from under him. How he wound up in the care of a living statue of Andraste was beyond him... straight nose, unblemished face, clear grey eyes, and so many other features that seemed almost unreal. His first thought was that he had to be dreaming, but her reaction to his waking didn't quite fit with that scenario.

How he also wound up naked and half submerged in water was beyond him. It was after a cursory glance to make sure of this before he spoke again. "You... wouldn't happen to have my clothes nearby, would you?"

She flinched, sharply turning her head away to focus on the opposite wall. "Y-yes... they are drying, milord."

Dominic may be many things, but a lord he was not. "Dominic, please," he insisted, introducing himself.

She blinked rapidly, before nodding. "Very well... Dominic," she softly replied, nearly whispering his name at the end.

Confused, he stared up at the woman as she stubbornly continued to look away. Seeing nerves from her appealed to him, made her seem more human and less like an impersonal statue; she was still helping him keep his head above the water, and was obviously tending to him while he was unconscious, but by the Maker, if she was the one who unclothed him then the sudden shyness and obvious movements towards his decency remaining intact wasn't needed. As the silence stretched on longer than he was comfortable with, he lifted his hand from the water and moved it slowly. _So far, so good... I can cast __half__ a spell..._ "I believe this is when you tell me your name," he prompted.

Startling out of the staring contest she had with the wall, her eyes flickered towards him before resuming a happy medium. Her mouth opened, yet she had to work to say a name. "Samantha."

"It's lovely," he replied.

Her lashes fluttered as her head tilted to the side. Maybe it was the light, but he couldn't quite see a blush. He could imagine one there, however, racing up the smooth column of her neck and blossoming across her cheeks. It would have to be enough for him. "Th-thank you..." she murmured.

His back shifted, the blades of his shoulders lightly digging into her legs, and he found himself wanting to sit up. It had to be terribly uncomfortable for her to support his weight for as long as she had. As he started to rise, however, she halted him with a move of her hand. It was hovering above his skin, almost touching but not quite. He looked up to her eyes, meeting his with concern. "Please, you must rest," she insisted. "Preserve your strength."

"Samantha, while I do enjoy the company of beautiful women such as yourself, I realize you must have been supporting my dead weight for a long time now. I think I can at least sit up." He kept looking into her eyes, imploring her with his own, until she glanced away. Her hand moved off to the side, granting the permission he wanted, and he wasted no time with it. Hands propped under him and pushed up, bringing to light a stinging sensation in his palm. He favored it and pulled it up from the water, examining the new cut carefully.

"It has been cleaned," Samantha reassured him. "You must have scraped it against a rock."

"In that amount of snow? I would have been lucky to find one."

"With that visibility, you were very lucky to not find it with your head."

Dominic paused his examination, turning to look at Samantha. _Was that a joke? A playful stab at the pride, perhaps?_ The way she studied her hands, twining together in her lap, made it hard to tell. Regardless of his confusion, he replied, "I'm sure I would have bounced back easily. My head's had a worse assault." If his Harrowing was any indication, a potential rock would be nothing in comparison.

This, however, finally brought her eyes up to him, narrowed with confusion and worry. Before she could say anything, he dismissed the matter with a shake of the head. "It's nothing," he casually added, returning to his hand examination. He hoped she would buy it, for the sake of not worrying over a past event. In truth, it was exactly what the name implied, but it was also a necessary evil, he would come to recognize in the following months... Summoning a healing spell, he watched as the line closed completely with a flash of green light. _That had to be a pretty precise scrape, now that I think of it..._

A ripple of water signified her approach, with a hand stretched out. Her skin, cooled in comparison to the spike in warmth as an after-effect of the healing spell, slipped around the back of his as she studied his palm. _Wonderful, someone who now knows I'm a mage,_ Dominic thought to himself. At any point, he was sure he was going to be either tossed out on his rear, or locked up to be handed over to the Templars. Hopefully, he'd be clothed in either scenario. "I suppose I should thank you... for saving me," he said, wanting to get his gratitude out now.

To his surprise, her eyes darted to his before just as quickly drawing down to her lap. A soft tilt of the lips preceded a soft "you're welcome", and he could just picture her blushing again. Now that they were closer together, he couldn't really see it. Or maybe it was simply the angle, he mused to himself, tilting his head down to her level.

She met his gaze, then looked at something past his shoulder and blanched, releasing his hand and quickly backing away. He turned to look over his shoulder, and immediately wished he hadn't. A small group of the sternest people he had ever seen were lining the wall, coming from a hallway further down that he hadn't thought of before. It was the man leading them that he addressed, an aged yet not quite as soft statue of authority. "I can- this isn't what it looks like, I swear..." Dominic followed the man's icy gaze, finding them firmly fixed on Samantha, who looked just about ready to shrink away into nothingness. Dominic tried again, hoping to fix the situation. "This isn't her fault, really, it's mine-"

"Come here," the man growled to her, cutting Dominic off. Slowly, ever so slowly, Samantha crept closer to the water's edge, to where the man was standing. Once she was close enough, a hand darted out, grasped her by the arm, and yanked her out onto the bank. "You brought a stranger into our midst," he nearly hissed to her, spitting the word as if it was the most vile curse. "Without our permission, without enthralling him-"

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Samantha cried, trying to squirm out of his grasp.

Dominic stood, forgoing his state of dress in light of the situation and what he thought it was turning into. "Calm down, it's fine! I can leave-"

"You know what the penalty for such an action is," the man growled to Samantha, holding her ever tighter the more she tried to break free.

"Wait! Master, please!" A different man exclaimed, stepping forward from the line. The room quickly fell silent... dangerously so. 'Master' fell so still, face hardening over the intrusion. Sobbing breaths escaped Samantha as Master's head turned.

"Do you want her?" Master asked, in a deceptively quiet voice. "Take her," he added, extending her arm out to him.

The second man's eyes flicked from Master to Samantha and back, before he reached out and did as was asked. She was released easily enough, causing Dominic's stomach to drop. This wasn't over, and he knew it.

"You both know what the punishment is," Master spoke in a clear voice. "Since you were so quick to speak on her behalf, Isaac, you will administer the punishment instead."

Isaac looked down to Samantha, who appeared to be absolutely terrified. Dominic was starting to feel a bit sick as well; what kind of cultist place did he stumble onto, and how did someone like Samantha get mixed into all of this? Isaac lifted his free hand and turned Samantha's head to the side, shifting his grip to a firmer half-hug. Her eyes with clenched tightly shut as she tried to control her shaking. Dominic had to do something to stop whatever was going to happen, he knew, but what would he do to convince them?

All rational thought left the mage as he watched fangs sink out of Isaac's gums, before they bit down onto Samantha's exposed neck. Her shaking increased, her features drawn tight with pain, and she had to bite down on her lip to hold back her cries. As Isaac's eyes turned red, the cold truth slammed into Dominic: blood magic, among the likes of which he'd never seen or read about before. They must all be blood mages, even the master who was way-too-casually standing by, watching the proceedings. Isaac's bite strengthened, drawing a whimper from Samantha and a scowl from the Master.

Master drew a hidden blade from its sheath, slicing a clean line into his palm. A quick gesture drew a red smoky spell, which was shot into Isaac's back, connecting the two men together. "Harder!" Master shouted. Isaac automatically did as commanded, now drawing screams from her.

Dominic started to shout over her screams, unable to stand seeing her tortured because of him. "Stop, stop it! It's not her fault, it's mine! Please, just stop!"

The spell was withdrawn, and Samantha was abruptly dropped. Isaac stood over her, red coating his teeth and conflict in his eyes. His back straightened, however, as Master approached. "Get back in line," he hissed to Isaac, watching as the other man obeyed. Master's gaze turned down to Samantha, softly sobbing and curled into her side, bleeding neck still exposed. As he kneeled down to her, he mused aloud, "Now, to see if you betrayed us as well as broken our rules..." Master's own fangs flashed, before sinking into Samantha's neck.

This was a different spell, Dominic could tell, but for what purpose he didn't know. His thoughts screeched to a halt once more when Samantha's back stiffened with a gasp, eyes falling open and turning red, with fangs sinking down as well. _Blood mages_, he thought hysterically. _They're all blood mages... and I'm trapped with them, if that hallway's my only escape..._ If what was done to Samantha was what happened when citizens broke the rules, what happened to the rather unfortunate outsiders?

Master straightened, licking stray blood from his lips, and pinning his eyes onto Dominic. The blood from Samantha's neck was swirled into that familiar red vaporous rope, which was shot to Dominic's face before he could think to block it. And just like that, his world went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Very short one, and only promising that I swear I will get back to my original stories on here. This one has to let me go first... xD_

_Dragon Age = Bioware, yadayadayada..._

* * *

It was with heavy heart that Isaac rejoined Master and the other Elders in the grand meeting room. Having had control over that mortal boy, Dominic, Master hadn't noticed when he was exactly missing one person from their party. Isaac had slipped away in the distraction, searching for Samantha to try to console her.

_Samantha... how could you?_ he asked himself. She was still very young, a baby in the eyes of nearly everyone else that lived in these underground caves, so it would be no surprise to see her try to befriend a stranger that was still alive. And yet, it was very dangerous to bring anyone from the outside world in. That was what he and the rest of his family strode for- secrecy.

Master didn't live to be many centuries old by telling everyone in Thedas about himself, after all.

Yet, there could be something to learn about the younger generation of blooded kin, as it seemed Samantha had vanished into thin air once again. She wasn't his only 'child', as sires tended to call the ones they turned, but out of them all she was the most worrisome to him. If her only stand-out trait was to vanish at will and not use it as part of an attack, everything about her would be questioned. Questioned kin members didn't live for very long.

He followed the telepathic summons into the meeting room, coming around the long table of seated Elders to kneel at Master's side. Nothing was said for a very long time, the room filling with the sound of scratches from the random deep stalker in far off hiding.

"I thank you, Isaac," Master finally spoke, breaking the prolonged silence. Isaac nearly shot his head up in questioning, but schooled the impulse into submission out of respect. Master continued his musings, saying, "Had I not been stopped in time, and sated my rage on your Samantha, we would not only have lost a needed kin member, but imprinted such a memory into that mortals brain and increased our risk of being hunted. Your quick thinking was well-placed."

"Many thanks for your gratitude, Master," Isaac dutifully replied. "I do not deserve such compassion."

"Your mental fortitude has yet to cease to amaze me," Master said, focusing at a spot down the table. "While you did think quick to stop my actions, had you stopped coddling to your Samantha in such a fashion long ago, we would not have to deal with her new... fascination, as it were."

This time, Isaac did look up to Master's face. "Fascination?"

"Though her thoughts were chaotic, and mostly fueled by fear, her feelings towards this mortal are dangerous for any kin member to have." Turning to Isaac, he continued in voicing his thoughts. "I do understand that Samantha is young, very young, with still fresh memories of what having a real life meant. However, it is long enough after her turning for her to stop momentarily forgetting that she is not alive anymore."

Isaac's head bobbed back down. "I apologize... What will you have me do?"

"Encourage her training. Break these little fantasies of hers." Master leaned in close, letting the power behind his voice speak his threat. "Introduce her to fresh blood. She is a part of the Kinship now, is she not?"

Isaac guiltily flinched, but bowed low. "Yes, Master," he agreed.

"You have my leave," Master dismissed Isaac, sitting back in his chair as the other blooded kin rose. The room fell silent once more, allowing his final words to Isaac to easily carry. "I let you have your daughter; now, let me have my warrior."

o0o0o

When Dominic came to, the first sensation he had was that he was standing. Where, he couldn't tell, because the room was incredibly dark. In fact, that was all his senses could pick up: he was moving somewhere, muffled voices were speaking around him, and he was perfectly fine with not being able to see where he was going. At one point, he was even carried across a stretch of area. He had been standing in this darkness for a while now... was he still enthralled?

As a test, he started to move his hand. When it easily followed the split-second command, his body jerked into action. No amount of squinting could discern any form of light source, so a wisp was quickly formed. He watched as it circled around the room, showing him the dimensions. It wasn't any larger than the living space he had after becoming a Harrowed mage, but it was still enclosed... and underground... in the middle of a blood mage cult...

A quick search produced his robes and boots, tossed carelessly at his feet. Giving himself something normal to do did little to calm his thoughts, but it was done anyway. Blood mages, all living together, taking on barbaric forms of using their talents and apparently going to great means of doing so. Master had searched Samantha's memories, or so he implied, using that same magic... could it even be done normally? One of his learned talents was a mind blast, used to daze those around him and ensuring a quick getaway if needed. This included actively traipsing through someone's _mind_! Surely, there had to be some consequence involved in that.

The entryway to his room that he didn't spot before slid open, quickly admitting a form before it ground back shut. He could also catch a far off light form, faintly showing a small patch of a hallway that he must have been taken down. His foot was quickly jammed into the second boot, not bothering to finish closing the robe as he backed away from the newcomer. The person was a female, with a small, curved form, and long hair gathered at the back of her neck. It wasn't until she turned to face him that he recognized her. "Samantha?"

She started to answer, then appeared confused over something. Her gaze flitted to a spot on the wall beside her, then up to the wisp, where her eyes- and body- absolutely stilled. After watching her watching it's progress, he explained quickly. "It's a wisp. It strengthens spell power, but most times helps us see... in extremely dark, underground cells, no less."

Samantha had the decency to flinch, then look ashamedly at her feet. "I-I... I w-w-wanted to... apologize-"

"I don't want to hear it," Dominic interrupted. "Unless you're here to free me, then I don't want to hear anything from you." How could he have thought it safe to trust her before? Her, a blood mage! Who knows if she had done anything to him in his weakened state to begin with, either using her magic or those animal-like fangs?

"I want to free you," Samantha stated.

Blinking in surprise, he asked, "What?"

"I mean it," she insisted, daring a half-step closer. "I do want to free you."

As silence stretched on after her declaration, he replied, "Are you going to?"

Samantha fidgeted again, looking just as stricken as before. "I don't think I can... It's still snowing very hard outside, and even with my help, I don't think you'll make it back to the Circle safely."

He released an irritated breath, running his fingers through his hair quickly. "Problem is, I don't want to go back to the Circle... wait, you know what the Circle is?"

"Yes, I do."

Things were starting to look up, now. Maybe if she came with him, he could explain her predicament to the First Enchanter, possibly set her back on the right track of using her magic in a safe way- A hand on his shoulder surfaced him from his thoughts, to him realizing that he was pacing the room, speaking his thoughts aloud. "Sorry about that," he said.

"I'm not a mage," she insisted at the same time he spoke.

Dominic's brows furrowed in confusion, examining the girl before him as if it would give him a clue as to what she was really saying. "You're not a mage?" As she shook her head no, he found himself numbly continuing. "But, your eyes... and, and the fangs-"

"Everyone has those traits," Samantha explained. "But, not everyone here uses magic. I don't use magic myself..." Her eyes drifted off in thought. "Well, there are certain things..."

"Such as?"

Instead of explaining, she immediately clasped her hands behind her back, eyes widening. "I shouldn't... I shouldn't say."

"Why not? You shouldn't start something just to back out," he reasoned.

"Even if it made you uncomfortable?" she asked, surprising Dominic. After the displays of blood magic that he had seen and the now dangerous situation he found himself in, there were now concerns for his comfort? Granted, it came from one that he figured he could expect it from now, but otherwise it was a strange question to be asked.

"It won't be used against me?" he found himself replying. As she shook her head no, he took a deep breath, steeling himself anyways. "Show me."

Keeping her movements deliberately slow, she drew her dagger from the inside of her boot, drew a line across her palm, and pressed it to a wall. A soft word was spoken, one that was oddly reminiscent to a spell used to light something, and a line of ingrained runes outlining the room glowed a vibrant red color. It was strong enough to see by, which was a good thing since the wisps light was starting to fade. "Is this considered blood magic?" she asked, turning her head to look at him.

For the moment, he found himself speechless. The lighted runes in the cave must be the same as the ones here, runes that were magical by nature and activated by blood. By its very nature, if one were to be so technical about it, it would be considered blood magic. However, since it wasn't done by a mage, what did that mean? "I'm not sure what to make of this," he answered honestly.

Replacing her dagger, she held her hands behind her back once more, this time appearing more relaxed. "Would you say it is, though?" she gently pressed.

He stepped closer to a lighted rune, running his finger over it. "There is a magical influence, yes... and there was blood involved..." He turned his back to the wall and slid down to a seat, pushing his hair from his face once more. "You're not a mage, though."

"No, I'm not," she repeated, mimicking his positioning. "I've had some training in the area, and know the basics, but I haven't shown any talents in the area."

Okay, so she was in fact being trained, but didn't show any promise for it? And she didn't sound too concerned about the training itself, which implied this being a normal occurrence... "What is this place?" he asked.

"The Deep Roads," Samantha replied, sorrow sounding in her tone. "It's the only place we can live in safety."

"What about darkspawn?" Dominic pointed out, suddenly feeling the need to look around for any strange shadows.

"I haven't seen one in my years here," she said, reassuring him. "If one were to show up, however, we'd be far from defenseless."

"What about other... outsiders?"

"I haven't seen any of those either."

"And here I thought the Circle was bad," he muttered.

Samantha, with her heightened sense of hearing, was able to pick up what was said. "Why would the Circle be bad?" she asked him.

"How did... never mind," he replied, deciding that it may be better that he didn't know the answer to that particular question. Instead, he cast her a sideways glance. She may be a part of the cultists who live here, but she was sympathetic to his plight right away. He may be able to use that to his advantage... "I have a question."

"Yes?" she asked, waiting patiently to hear it.

"I'm trying to get to Orlais," he started explaining. "To get there, I had to cross the mountains, but couldn't really get far because of the blizzard." As she nodded her agreement, he continued. "But now that I'm underground, and out of the weather, that may make things easier if I wanted to travel this way, right?"

"Right," Samantha agreed, though it was with some doubt.

"I know you may not know the way through these underground tunnels, but surely you may know someone who's lived here long enough, who does know the way through. Do you?"

Thinking of her father, her sire, Samantha replied, "I may."

"I'll need to know for sure, though," he insisted, scooting over to sit close to her side. "This is my third time escaping the tower, and I doubt I'll be able to do something like this again, so I'll need nothing but sure answers." He noted that she couldn't meet his eyes once more, and it was dismissed as a normal quip of hers. For a seemingly curious person, she sure could be shy. "Will you do this for me?" he asked.

"Yes," she breathed in reply.

_... I'll admit, that sounded odd..._ "Samantha?" he asked, trying to meet her eyes.

Her eyes widened, just before they started turning red. Faster than he could think, her hands were grasping his shoulders and pulling her to him, her nose and mouth nuzzling and licking the side of his neck. He couldn't move at first, he was that shocked over the action; his attempts to actually move were met with a surprisingly strong resistance. Her mouth parted against his skin, with a faint scrape of fangs following. His eyes widened as he gasped, a mind blast shooting out of his hands out of reflex. It thankfully impacted, slumping her over his shoulder. She was immediately pushed back to the floor, giving him room to distance the two.

She moaned and panted as he moved away, struggling to recover from the spell. A hand inched out in his direction, grabbing at air. "Dominic," she whispered, soon struggling to rise.

"Stay back!" he firmly stated, stretching out a shaky arm. _Blood mage blood mage she's a blood mage,_ his mind chanted all the while. His heart pounded in his ears as she finally rose to her feet, an arcane bolt forming in his hand. "I'm warning you!"

A blur of movement, and a horrible screeching noise made him flinch and turn his head away from what he knew was coming for him. The bolt was fired, only to impact against the opposite wall rather harmlessly, as no one was in its path anymore.

"Drink," a firm voice commanded, spurring Dominic's eyes to shoot open in surprise. The male vampire that bit Samantha before was now grasping her struggling form in a bear hug, holding his exposed arm near her mouth. She only gave it the smallest of glances before sinking her own fangs into the limb, drinking the blood it gave her with the quietest of moans. His stomach lurched dangerously at the sight, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from it.

The door was open, the same faint light gracing the walls as before. On shaky legs, his senses came back to him, and he took the open advantage by running out the doorway. The further away he got, the more his legs steadied underneath him... and the more he grew suspicious of there being no chasing footsteps behind him. Putting his back into the curve of the hallway, he kept retreating, but actively searched for any possible hiding place. Dangerously fast, and who knows what else they're capable of, with fangs aiming for his neck-

His thoughts were interrupted by a foot meeting nothing but air. It seemed he reached the end of the hallway, and the reason why he would have been carried, as there was nothing but a sheer drop greeting him now. His arms pinwheeled, trying so hard to regain the balance that was lost, and just knowing that it wasn't working...


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: Soooooo very sorry about the long wait for this! Maybe the new chapter will make up for it... methinks! xD_

* * *

A hand grasped Dominic's shoulder before he plummeted to his death, pulling him back into safety and pinning him up against the stone wall. The blood mage- Isaac, he remembered the mage being addressed- simply held him, examining him with those eerily red eyes. All the events leading up to this point fueled Dominic's struggle against the hold, no matter how futile it seemed. "Let me go!" he insisted, trying to pry Isaac's hand from his shoulder. _By the Maker, how strong __is__ he?_

"I cannot do that," Isaac replied. His eyes cleared to show a normal brown iris color, but they remained glued to Dominic's face.

Gathering his mana, another mind blast rocketed from Dominic; unfortunately, it had no effect on Isaac. The blood mage's fangs flashed in warning, a low, guttural hiss escaping as well. With a courage he didn't feel, Dominic challenged Isaac. "What, are you going to bite me, use my blood for whatever ritual you have planned?"

"Ritual?" Isaac repeated, grinning a sinister smile. "There's no ritual involved with sating our thirst." He paused to let it sink into Dominic's mind, his smile falling as he waited. "But, why waste my energy when I can simply return you to where you were?" Isaac threatened back, nodding to the end of the cliff hallway. "You threaten my clan with your very presence. Your arrival prompted me into harming one of my own just to save her life-"

"She brought me here!" Dominic protested. "I had no idea all of this existed-"

"- And you would dare to harm her yourself, after she saved your life!"

"She was going to bite me with her... with her... fangs! FANGS! Sharp, pointed teeth that belong to animals and monsters, and they're aimed at my neck! What was I supposed to do, as her politely to stop? Or just go ahead and let her kill me?"

Isaac stilled, the air around him growing absolutely lethal. "If you are to know anything about my daughter, mortal, it is this: she would sooner end her own life than so much as misplace a hair on an innocent's head... a compassion that I'm finding difficult to emulate." His hand clamped on the mortal's neck, tightening as he lifted the mortal from his feet. It would be so easy to throw Dominic off to the side indeed, easier still to simply turn the boy's head and feed from him, taste the essence of lightning and mint that ran rampant in all mages-

Hurried steps behind him interrupted his thoughts. "Father, please; no!" Samantha quickly beseeched him, stopping with a gasp at the sight. "Don't hurt him!"

Isaac had to school the more impulsive parts of his temper to keep from snapping back at her. Turning his face away from the struggling mortal and his choked noises, he replied in clipped tones. "This mortal is a stranger, who must be taught by example if he wishes to live."

She was quiet, filling Isaac's sensitive hearing with the rapid heartbeat of his prey. It stuttered mid-rhythm when she finally replied. "Then let me teach him. Let me be responsible for him-"

Isaac dropped Dominic and stood in front of Samantha, silencing her with a finger held just over her mouth. "Be careful how loudly you say such things," he warned her. "There are those who would take you seriously."

"Good," she said. "He's here because of my actions, and he'll stay here because of me. I'll take responsibility for him."

He detected a wavering in her voice, but she still stood her ground, not looking to her feet in a submission that spoke louder than words. _She could be feeling guilt over the initial action, and is wanting to atone using any means necessary... she's turning into you,_ Isaac's inner voice cautioned. As his rage cooled over her plea, he thought back to mere moments before, when her fangs sank into his arm. If Master ever found out about this, of her insistence on taking from safer areas of the body instead of the normal vital points, it wouldn't bode well for either of them. It could be possible that he was spurring some parts of her caution, and thus hindering her kinship potential, but she was his daughter. She filled the dark void in his existence when they first locked eyes on each other those years ago. As such, he would do anything for her... even accept this.

He turned away from her, back to Dominic, before picking him up and quickly returning him to his holding room before the mortal was aware of what was happening. The heavy door slid back into place, enough to keep him captive by conventional means. Through all of this, Samantha didn't move. Before he could say something, teach her the meaning of having someone in their care, she spoke first. "Please don't be angry with me, Father," she softly begged.

Isaac pulled her into a gentle hug. "I never could," he replied, which was true. She was learning; however slow or cautious it was in the eyes of Master and the rest of the Elders, she was still learning. He couldn't fault her this. Yet, Master's words still echoed in his head: _"I let you have your daughter; now let me have my warrior."_ Like it or not, a countdown had begun, and he had to get her ready if he still wanted to see her.

As he led her away from Dominic's holding room, he spoke aloud. "Come, then. I will help you recognize your hunger, so your next visit here will not be so disastrous."

o0o0o

He had no idea about Samantha's hunger, but Dominic's was growing. The mage didn't keep track of the days he had refused any sort of meal (which in all honesty looked the same to him) for fear of becoming one of... _them_. He wasn't sure if that was even the way it happened, or even if food was just a first step to the process, but he couldn't trust anything that was placed in front of him. As it was, he couldn't trust leaving his spot in the corner, save for the apparent last minute urinal set up for him as he slept. Both that and the uneaten food was routinely refreshed/cleaned during those hours as well. He had also kept a wisp up, to keep his mind's eye from turning the dark room into darker shadows of fanged blood mages...

He felt he was going mad.

A knock sounded through the thick door, able to be heard, and once again showing _their_ strength. He couldn't let himself respond; better to let them think he's dead than come in and actually kill him. His hand ghosted to his neck, where Isaac's grip bruised him. Templars were starting to look more appealing than this torture he found himself in.

"Can I come in?" Samantha asked him.

Yet another reason for his sense of insanity. She was one of them, and had still insisted on treating him with any common courtesy. Save for the time she tried to bite him, of course... No, he wasn't going to trust her. He couldn't afford to; the second he did was when they were going to get him, he was almost sure of it.

"Dominic, please answer me... I promise that I'm not going to hurt you."

Dominic stubbornly tucked his knees up, wrapping his arms around them and digging his fingers into the flesh of his legs. He couldn't give in...

Outside the door was quiet, long enough for him to almost think that she had left, when it opened anyways. The soft light spilled in, outlining her shadowed form on the wall opposite of where he was sitting. Samantha sighed when she spotted him, looking down to the tray of warm meat in her hand, and slid it over to stop in front of his feet before sitting in the doorway, cross legged. She gently studied him before speaking again. "I can understand how you feel... I've been there myself before. Only, Father's memories on how the living cared for themselves was a bit dim... you can only imagine how that was."

Dominic was sneaking glances to the food. It had been so long, and so long as it wasn't darkspawn, he'd be ready to eat anything placed in front of him. That had to be what she wanted, though, and what they all wanted was his blood on an altar. Or worse, in their stomachs... he quickly turned his head away.

"I know you don't trust me," Samantha calmly continued. "I don't blame you for that. But I do want you to believe that I won't try to hurt you anymore." She paused, before adding with a touch of mirth, "Even if I did try again, you certainly know how to stop me."

"So what you mean to say," Dominic stated, working through the light rasp from misuse and injury, "is that I should forgive you for trying to kill me, because at least I know how to stop you for Maker knows how long, and that's only in your case, because against anyone like Isaac, I'm essentially dead before I know it. Am I right?"

"I don't care if you never forgive me. In fact, I'd be surprised if you do. Much like you insinuated, I am a monster."

This time, he did turn his head to her. "You know you're a monster, and I'm... human. I know I have no place, and you even said you wanted to help me escape. So why am I here?"

Her eyes turned down to her fingers, before cautiously making their way back to his. "This is only my tenth year like... this," she explained, gesturing to herself. "My eleventh living here to begin with. Most of us can't say this, but I remember what it was like to feel hungry, to have hopes and dreams of a future, to breathe the air and have it sustain you. So when I went out into the snow to find you with pale skin and frostbitten fingers... I couldn't simply stand by and let your life slip from you."

His gaze relaxed as she spoke, starting to soften to her side, but not completely. "You saved me, because I'm alive? Aren't you?"

Slowly, she shook her head no. "My heart hasn't beaten for ten years."

He released a shocked breath. "All power comes with a sacrifice," he mused aloud.

"Yes," she agreed. "Some more terrible than others."

"I can't think of anything worse than this."

"If you do, I hope you never find it."

Dominic's eyebrows furrowed together. "Did you want this?"

Eyes trained to a spot on the floor in between them, she replied, "Eventually. Even then, I wasn't told the full cost." Her eyes raised, but she still couldn't look at him, looking saddened over the tale. "It took Father a while to gain my trust again after I was turned." As she finally matched his gaze, she finished by saying, "I'm happy Father turned me."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Instead of answering, she nodded to the platter at his feet. "You should eat. I was wanting to take you to bathe as well, if you wished."

Looking down to the platter once more, he studied the slightly charred, headless animal on the tray before him. It was meat, and it wasn't raw... but what was it exactly? Against his better judgment, he asked, "Do I want to know what I'm eating?"

"It's best if you don't," she replied. The missions to get Dominic fresh food always made her nervous, since no one in the Kinship slept and was prone to go hunting at any time. The drained deep stalkers were always left to rot- or be consumed by other unknown things- and were thus not going to go missing. After removing any dangerous parts, along with the rest of the head to be safe, it was then cooked in secret over a lava vein. He took a cautious bite, then dug into the meal with earnest, making Samantha smile and feel that her efforts weren't in vain.

o0o0o

Despite Samantha's wanting to get to know her newest charge better, the journey from Dominic's holding room to her and her family's living quarters passed in silence. He had the smart sense to not openly gape at any passing kin members (though the same couldn't be said of them), but the intricately carved ceilings towered high above them, lit with the controlled lava flow on the sides of the large stone path held his attention surely enough. He was led through an open entryway into one of the many buildings he had seen, and as she moved to the side to admit him entrance, she noticed his gaze dart from a more elaborately dressed kin member to her own body. Noting her own gaze on him, he quickly looked ahead and stepped through.

Her hands brushed against her clothing as she looked down, searching for anything amiss, or an appearance of stains. She then had to stop her head mid-turn, because she was not going to compare her normal dress to those distinguished enough to be permitted to wear such elaborate styles like a schoolgirl pining for pretty things to impress boys with... And if her cheeks could blush, it would surely reach her ears at this point. Incensed, she followed Dominic inside.

He was stopped just before the large sitting area, softly lit from lyrium pieces enclosed on metal stands, and beyond him was absolutely silent. Peering over his shoulder, she noticed her 'siblings'- three boys and two girls- staring right back at him. Her eldest sibling, a dark-haired man by the name of Leo, noticed her appearance first and chuckled. "This explains certain things," he announced. "I nearly had forgotten the news of our Samantha and her new... shall we say, friend."

A rich, auburn haired woman, Margeaux, laughed as well while standing. "Ah, yes," she spoke aloud, her Orlesian accent softened with time. "Her new friend with such a scandal tied to him." Walking considerably closer, she toyed with a low hanging chain from the elaborate choker on her neck. "Does this friend have a name?"

"Dominic," Samantha answered, stepping around him as she noticed him growing apprehensive with Margeaux's approach.

Margeaux's blue eyes met Samantha's, losing a touch of the amusement behind them. "I am sure this Dominic can speak for himself, no? Perhaps if I ask another question of him...?" Her hand reached out, intending to go over Samantha's shoulder and closer to Dominic.

She made sure that didn't happen by grasping Margeaux's wrist as it reached her ear. "While I'm not going to hinder your curiosity, I will ask you to keep your distance," she firmly requested, watching her sister's surprised look start to harden.

Laughter from back inside the room broke the tension. "Well, what do we have here," her other sister, Heather, remarked as she leaned forward with interest, toying with her dark brown hair and allowing the tips of her pointed ears to poke up. "The little one's finally showing her claws!" As Samantha released Margeaux, returning to her demure posturing, Heather sat back in her chair with a long-suffered groan, her hand pressing up to her tattoo-covered forehead.

"Why did you have to say something?" one of the other brothers, Victor, spoke up in an obvious tease. "She was making such great progress!"

"I know!" Heather replied. "I was simply too amazed to keep the grand sight to myself."

"Perhaps it will show itself again," Margeaux wondered aloud as she stepped down. "Maybe if prodded correctly..."

"Children," Isaac called, gaining everyone's attention. He entered the room in his best dress as well, the high collar of his shirt matching those of his three sons being carefully fastened into place. Noting a new presence, he bowed his upper body towards the entryway, adding, "And Dominic. The Council will be starting within a candlespan, so we'd best start heading on our way."

The last son, Eirik, straightened from the wall, smoothing non-existent hair back before placing a stiff-sided and brimmed hat on his head. His soft, yet deep voice carried as he asked, "Any word on the subject matter?"

"Aside from introducing newest members, I have wondered that myself." Isaac smiled as Leo mussed Victor's hair, speaking congratulatory words yet again, before continuing. "However, all the speculating in the world will not answer what appearing ourselves will. Samantha, Dominic, it would be best if the two of you remain behind with Heather for tonight."

As if on cue, all fancily dressed people exited, Samantha and Dominic stepping out of their way. With a last curious look from Margeaux, the room was nearly emptied, and silence fell once more.

Heather stood from her seat, audibly stretching her arms overhead. "Well," she stated aloud, relaxing her posture once more. "Now that the excitement's over, it's back to the tome I was reading. The night is yours, so do what you like." Directing her words to Dominic, she then said, "Be careful what you say or do, though. I have super powerful ears now, and I know how to use them."

Dominic's face blanched as Heather winked a hazel eye at him, grinning widely and showing her relaxed fangs. He was saved from the sight by a rather flustered Samantha, taking his arm and pulling him along into another hallway. The laughter that followed the two of them told Samantha of Heather's true intentions when it came to her and the 'tome she was reading'. _Thank the Maker I can't blush anymore!_

o0o0o

Oblivious to this passing of events, a trio of Elders were leading Master to the largest entranceway, coincidentally the same one Samantha brought Dominic through. They stopped a small distance away from the magical barrier, which glowed a vibrant red, as could be expected. What Master had never seen before, however, was the reason why he was brought to the barrier to begin with: it was now complete with arcs of lightning, lacing through the now whirling barrier.

"How long has it been this way?" Master asked one of the Elders.

"A week," came the quick answer, from a stern looking female, her black locks sharply pulled back from her face into a high bun. Her eyes glowed red as she once again looked over the barrier. "It seems to have a life force of its own, Master."

_Life force..._ Master mulled those words over before speaking again. "How long has it been since that _mortal_ crossed through?"

An uneasy silence fell behind him, before the same Elder replied. "It was... a week, Master. As long as this barrier was created."

An elven Elder, a male with closely cropped hair, stepped forward. "Do you think there is a connection, Master? Between the mortal's presence and this strange barrier?"

Master's eyes narrowed. Yes, he did believe what it was the Elders were now questioning. When the need to replenish the barrier's blood force easily went unanswered for this length of time, it obviously drew attention from his clan, those living close to the surface world. When word also came of how it reacted to those in the opposing clan, forced further back from the surface to prevent unnecessary exposure for the sake of a revolution/genocide, it obviously drew more attention from his clan.

The barrier always required a blood sacrifice if anyone wanted to pass through either into the underground world or onto the surface. In the past, if ignorance was to blame for the failure of this, then the barrier merely acted as a wall. This new barrier now had the capability to slay the ignorant, and had actually done so. With a last appraising look, Master turned and left the entrance, growing ever more contemplative over this turn of events.

Perhaps the mortal had more use to Master and his clan alive after all.


End file.
